ABSTRACT
The study attempted to
investigate the quality assurance strategies in the assessment of students’
academic performance at University
of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. The study equally
reviewed some important and extensive literatures under sub-headings. The
descriptive research survey design was applied in the assessment of
respondents’ opinions towards the subject matter.
A total of three null
hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance scores from
the questionnaires administered to fifty (50) teachers and one hundred and
fifty students (150) from University
of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.
The independent t-test
statistical tool was used to test hypotheses 1 and 3 while the Pearson Product
Moment Correlation Coefficient statistical tool was used to hypothesis 2 at
0.05 level of significance. At the end of the analyses, the results obtained
showed that:
(1)
Hypothesis one found that there is a
significant effect of quality assurance strategies on students’ academic
performance.
(2)
Hypothesis two revealed that there is a
significant relationship between quality assurance strategies and assessment of
students’ academic performance at University
of Lagos.
(3)
Finally, it was indicated that there is a
significant gender difference of students due to quality assurance strategies
at University of Lagos.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 4
Purpose of the Study 5
Research Questions 6
Research Hypotheses 7
Significance of the Study 7
Scope of the Study 8
Definition of Terms 9
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 10
Concept of Quality 11
Approaches to Managing Quality 12
Current/Recent Trends in the Assessment of
Students’ Academic
Performance at the University Level 14
Threats to Assurance of Quality in the
Students’ Academic
Performance at the University Level 18
Strategies for Assuring Quality in the
Assessment of
Students’ Academic Performance in Nigerian
Universities 19
Other Strategies to Achieving Quality in the
Assessment of Students’
Academic Performance 24
Concept of Educational Management 25
Rationale for Educational Management 28
Quality Assurance in University Education in Nigeria 30
Essential Elements of Quality in Education 31
Quality Control Measures for Sustainable
Higher Education in Nigeria 33
Vital Components of Higher Education and their
Influence on Quality 36
Factors Affecting the Quality of Higher
Education in Nigeria
38
The Bane of Quality Assurance in Higher
Education in Nigeria
40
Quality Control Measures for Higher Education
in Nigeria
41
Summary of Review 45
CHAPTER
THREE: METHODOLOGY 46
Research Design 46
Population of the
Study 46
Sample Size and
Sampling Technique 47
Research Instrument 47
Validity of Instrument 47
Reliability of
Instrument 48
Data Collection
Procedure 48
Data Analysis Method 48
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF
RESULTS 49
Introduction 49
Description of Teachers’ Bio-Data According to
Age, Religion,
Marital Status, Qualification and Duration of
Service 49
Descriptive Analyses of Teachers’ Responses
with the Research Questions 53
Description of Students’ Bio-Data According to
Course, Age and Religion 60
Descriptive Analyses of Students’ Responses
with the Research Questions
and the Questionnaire 62
Testing of Hypotheses 68
Summary of Findings 71
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY
OF FINDINGS, DISCUSSION,
IMPLICATION,
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS 73
Introduction 73
Summary of Findings 73
Discussion of Findings 74
Implication of the Findings 77
Recommendations 79
Suggestion for Further Studies 81
References 82
Appendix 88
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Assessment is the
process of collecting data and structuring them into an interpretable form for
decision making purposes. According to
Nkwocha (2004), assessment is the use of various techniques and sources to
collect and estimate several types of information about a person, group of
persons or an event in a comprehensive way. The above descriptions of
assessment involve gathering data with a view to making value judgements about
the quality of an individual, object, group or event.
The assessment of the Nigerian University educational system is made up
of continuous and an end of the semester examinations, this accounts for 30
percent and 70 percent of the total score respectively. The importance of assessment of students at
the university level stems from the fact that it is an indispensable tool for
determining educational outcomes for the purpose of maintenance of standard,
increased productivity, accountability, and quality among others (Ogadinma, 2007).
It is also essential
for the determination of students who should go on probation or be
withdrawn. In order to ensure that the
above objectives are achieved, there is urgent need for the assurance of
quality in the assessment of students’ academic achievement, especially at the
University level.
Okebukola (2002)
observed that quality could be used to mean fitness for purpose. According to him, quality assurance in the
assessment of students’ academic performance at the University level examines
the effectiveness and efficiency of tests and assessment techniques, test
administration, processing of results, moderation of examination materials
among students. According to Nworgu
(1992), the strategies for the assurance of quality in the assessment of students
academic performance in Nigerian Universities especially University of Lagos
include the construction of high quality test items, this concerns lecturers
who have sufficient knowledge of test construction mechanics, who should be
employed to teach in the universities.
Teachers who are already in the university system that do not have the
required knowledge should also be exposed to workshops and seminars where they
would be trained and re-trained to enable them acquire necessary knowledge and
skills in the assessment instrument construction and utilization and in the use
of man-constructive techniques of assessment.
It also includes the construction of the instruments to be used for
assessments for example, university
undergraduates should be assessed using a variety of test formats which
include: multiple choice tests and essay
test formats. But for the problem of
students, population explosion across all levels of the Nigerian educational
system, especially at the university level, more emphasis ought to be given to
the use of multiple choice test format (Ugodulunwa and Mustapha, 2005).
Nkwocha (2004), claims
that the conducts of examination is very important. He suggests that schedules of invigilation
should be made and that lecturers should ensure strict adherence to the
schedules. He also suggests that enough
question papers and answers scripts should be provided and that the hall of the
examination or tests should be provided and arranged ahead of time before the
examinations. That students’ should be
given proper instruction on the dos and don’ts of the examination before they
start the examination or tests.
Opoola (2006) is of
the opinion that quality in the assessment of students’ academic performance at
the university level especially University of Lagos can be assured by the use
of information and communication technology (ICT) especially computer use in
the universities across the nation for data bank, for collation of answers,
especially examinations involving multiple choice questions. Opoola (2006), also is of the observation
that computerized cameras and transmitters should be used in filming, recording
and transmitting of examination procedures.
According to him, these instruments detect malpractices in
examinations. Therefore, punitive
measures can be meted out to culprits, which can be checked in future
occurrence.
As Anyanwu (2005) puts
it, other measures that can be introduced in the assurance of quality in the
assessment of students’ academic performance include: adequate provision of computers to all
universities in Nigeria and settlement of all disputes to avoid incessant
strike action and regular payment of university staff salaries and allowances,
adequate funding of the universities; the provision of adequate infrastructure
to take care of the ever increasing students’ population, proper handling of
examination matters without bias, fighting against gender stereotypes in the
school curriculum; ensuring that students are continuously assessed and that
their scores are properly moderated by appropriate authorities.
Statement
of the Problem
The problem and
challenges inherent in the assessment of students’ academic performance cannot
be over-emphasized. For instance, the
poor and inadequate strategies applied by the main stakeholders of the school
administration namely: the school principals, vice principals, headmasters,
teachers and even the administrators of our universities, has without doubt
caused the low or poor academic standards in the Nigerian educational system these
days. The low or non-quality assurance
in the assessment of students’ academic achievement at the tertiary
institutions especially at the university level especially University of Lagos
is one of the failures of the Nigeria
higher educational system which cannot be compared with that of the developed
countries of the world. The
non-availability of data bank on the assessment of students’ academic
performance, the non-provision of functional infrastructure, to take care of
the ever increasing population of students, the poor and improper handling of
examination and class tests matters; the mediocrity in the conducts of
students’ continuous assessments in schools, corruption in the school system;
the epileptic power supply, lack of functional academic system in Nigeria
especially at the apex level, the university and so on, have to a large extent,
contributed to faulty strategies for quality assurance in the assessment of
students academic performance at the university level (especially the
University of Lagos) which is the major problem of this study.
Purpose
of the Study
The main objective of
this study includes:
1. To
find out whether there is quality assurance in the assessment of students’
academic performance at the university level.
2. To
examine if there are correct strategies for quality assurance in the assessment
of students academic achievement
3. To
assess whether the present quality assurance for the assessment of students
educational attainment can be improved upon
4. To
ascertain whether the academic performance of male differs from their female
counterparts due to quality assurance strategies.
5. To
identify some factors contributing to lack of quality assurance in the
assessment of students’ academic performance in schools
6. To
proffer solutions to the problems of lack of quality assurance in the
assessment of students’ academic achievement.
Research
Questions
The following research
questions will be raised in this study:
1. Is
there any quality assurance in the assessment of students’ academic performance
at university level?
2. Are
there functional strategies for quality assurance in the assessment of
students’ academic performances?
3. Can
the present quality assurance strategies for the assessment of students’
academic performance be improved upon?
4. How
can we ascertain whether the academic performance of male students differ from
that of their female counterparts due to quality assurance?
5. How
can the problems of lack of quality assurance for students’ academic
performance assessment be identified?
6. How
can the problem of lack of quality assurance for assessment of students’
academic performance be solved?
Research
Hypotheses
The following
hypotheses will be tested in this study:
1. Will
the quality assurance strategies significantly affect the academic performance
of students in the university.
2. There
will be no significant relationship between quality assurance and the
assessment of students’ academic performance in the university
3. There
will be no significant gender difference in students’ academic achievement due
to quality assurance.
Significance
of the Study
This study will be
beneficial to the following individuals:
1. Students
would find the findings and recommendations of this study very rewarding, as
the study will be both educative and informative to the students who would be
enlightened more on the importance of quality assurance in any functional
educational system be it in the developing countries or the developed countries
of the world. With this study, students
would have deeper knowledge on the strategies applied in the school for the
assessment of students’ academic performance and or even the teachers
(lecturers’) work performance in the higher institutions, especially, the
universities.
2. Lecturers
would see this study as very imperative in the day to day assessment of
students’ academic achievement in the school.
With the findings and recommendations of this study, lecturers would be
able to have further insights on the need to have good and functional
strategies for the assessment of educational standards, especially the academic
performance of students in the tertiary institutions, particularly, the
university
3. Also
the school administrators would find the findings and recommendations of this
very useful because, if they heed to the recommendations, they would improve on
the current strategies that have embarked upon in the quality assurance for the
assessment of the students’ academic performance in the schools.
4. Members
of the society, researchers and scholars would find this study a reference
material to carry out further studies in related fields
Scope
of the Study
This study will cover
the evaluation of strategies for quality assurance in the assessment of
students’ academic performance in Nigeria universities especially at
the University of
Lagos, Akoka, in Mainland
Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Definition
of Terms
Operational terms
would be defined in this study thus:
1. Quality: This means degree, especially high degree of
goodness or worth. Something that
special in or that distinguishes a person or a thing.
2. Strategies: This means the art of planning operations in
war, especially of the movements or armies and navies into favourable positions
for fighting; it is a skill in managing any affair of an organisation or an
institution, etc.
3. Assurance: This connote self-confidence, belief and
trust in one’s own powers; a promise; stamen made or give confidence; insurance
that something that is certain, certainty; confidence.
4. Quality
assurance: This refers to degree of high
confidence or certainty. Something that
has high degree of confidentiality.
5. Assessment: This means decision; to fix the amount of
something; appraise; fix or decide the value of something. To test the value of something e.g academic
performance of students, etc.
6. Academic
performance: This is the rate or level
at which students’ outcomes are measured or rated. It is the general activities of students in
class tests and terminal examinations over a period of time.
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